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One-on-One’s Value

The employee quit rate in the United States has been steadily rising for well over a decade. Employees are increasingly dissatisfied with their workplaces. In 2011, Gallup found that only 12% of employees strongly agree they have substantially higher overall wellbeing because of their employer, in their Economics of Wellbeing study. Additionally, Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2021 Report shows only 20% of employees are engaged in their workplace. Other surveys show a disconnect between the next generation (those currently 41 years old and younger), what they want, and what the employer believes that generation wants.

McKinsey released a study in September 2021 highlighting the disconnect between what employees want and what employers think employees want. McKinsey identified what is most important to employees is being valued by their organization, valued by their manager, and a sense of belonging within their company. Employers believe employees are looking for “transactional” benefits, like compensation and perks, while employees are more likely to prioritize “relational” benefits. This is a chasmic disconnect. So, what kind of culture would attract and retain people? According to the data, a culture where people feel value and belonging. Value and belonging are experienced through relationship, so the next generation seems to be needing the relational impact of a leader who invests in people.

The leadership skills necessary to attract, motivate, develop and retain people are not being effectively taught, and people are leaving organizations where those skills are not prioritized. Too many organizations promote high potential individual contributors into management positions, with little training in how to lead people effectively. Career advancement places an emphasis on transactional benefits, rather than relational. But there is one simple practice that could be taught to solve many issues in the workplace. Gallup and other sources confirm that consistent feedback is meaningful, motivating, and increases engagement. Consistent feedback is found in the one-on-one meeting, therefore, the value of a regular one-on-one meeting cannot be over emphasized. So, why aren’t one-on-ones prioritized? There are a couple reasons.

First, leaders may not understand how important taking the time to do this really is. Many leaders will come up with an excuse to skip it, and rationalize why they do not have time for one-on-ones. Many high performing leaders see a one-on-one as competing for their own time. Remember, we’ve taken high performing individual contributors and made them managers. They have always been recognized and rewarded for their ability to get stuff done, to accomplish tasks and exceed expectations. Why would they change this learned behavior, sacrificing the reward they’ve always experienced? It requires a change of belief and habit. If leaders believe a one-on-one provides the ability to accomplish more, often by delegating or redistributing tasks, the time will be prioritized. If leaders see the ROI and the personal benefit of a one-on-one meeting, they will prioritize its consistency into habit.

Secondly, managers fear not knowing what to talk about or how to make the conversation valuable and productive. Some leaders view a one-on-one as just “catch-up” time, and therefore do not see its full value. It is more than an update, and is simpler than leaders realize. Here is a very simple outline for one-on-one conversations. The Three C’s: Context, Challenges, and Commitments frame a model for these valuable conversations.

Context: this is where leaders discuss what is going on with the individual’s personal life and professional life. By asking some simple questions, leaders will better understand their employees. Here are two suggestions to get started. How are you doing? What would you like to discuss today? The point is to find out how they are feeling. The questions themselves indicate that you value them and care enough to listen. The insights gleaned from these conversations will help you more fully understand the individual person, their strengths and weaknesses, their motivations and how to help them become a better version of themselves. Context also sets the stage for how the meeting proceeds.

Challenges: this is where leaders discuss the challenges an individual is experiencing professionally and also allows the leader to discuss their own challenges. Here are some questions to create engagement. What’s going on? What is getting in the way? What is your history with this? What’s your goal? How can I help you? By entering into this conversation on a regular basis, trust is built between two individuals. The need to prepare for “difficult conversations” diminishes, as accountability becomes a regular part of each one-on-one. As the relationship grows and trust increases, individuals will allow you to hold them accountable and will willingly accept feedback.

Commitments: this is where both parties commit and agree to following through on what was discussed. Here are examples of questions to confirm commitment. What could you do to move forward? How would the wisest person you know solve this? How likely are you to do what you have said? By synthesizing the conversation and establishing settlement on the commitments made on both sides, clarity is established in expectations. Individuals feel valued when they learn how to “win”, especially when their leader is committed to following up with them at the next meeting. These conversations around Three C’s establish what is expected for success!

In truth, if one-on-one meetings become a consistent leadership expectation within organizations, we can solve many of the issues creating attrition. Organizations could begin to understand what employees really need by regularly listening to them. And, if an individual has regular one-on-one conversations with their manager (based on the Three C’s), they can feel valued, feel a sense of belonging, and they can hear tangible feedback for growth. Growth encourages us to become “self-actualized”. In other words, successful one-on-ones can help an individual become a better version of themselves, and that is the inherent value.

Value one-on-ones and people will feel valued!


The above article was authored by Chris Allen and published in 2022 in the book “Voices for Leadership Volume 1 – Your Pathway to Becoming a More Influential Leader” by Brian Brogen.

Categories:
leadership, people
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